Text Publishing has announced a new prize for writers of Young Adult literature.

The Text Young Adult Prize comprises a publishing contract with Text and a $10,000 advance against royalties. It is open to published and unpublished Australian and New Zealand writers of all ages.

Text publisher Michael Heyward, who announced the prize at the Children's Book Council of Australia national conference in Melbourne on Sunday (4 May), said he hoped the award would ‘unearth some brilliant new writing for teenagers, which we can take to the world as we have done for many adult writers on our list.'

Text has recently had great success in selling rights to its YA title Genesis, by New Zealand author Bernard Beckett, which sold to Quercus for £100, 000 (A$220,000).

Both fiction and nonfiction works are eligible for the new prize, which will be judged by ‘a panel of editors from Text.' The winner is to be announced at the Melbourne Writers' Festival on Saturday 30 August.

Submissions close on 31 July. For more information visit www.textpublishing.com.au.